Finance
Privy Council rules against Finance Minister
Privy Council allows Auditor General Jaiwantee Ramdass to proceed with lawsuit against Finance Minister over 2023 public accounts investigation.
The Privy Council has dismissed an appeal by Finance Minister Colm Imbert and the Cabinet, allowing Auditor General Jaiwantee Ramdass to proceed with her lawsuit. This ruling means her case will go ahead in the local high court. Earlier today, the Privy Council’s law lords ruled that the Appeal Court’s decision permits Ramdass to challenge the investigation into her approach to auditing the 2023 public accounts. The dispute began when the Ministry of Finance sent amended accounts with overstated revenue figures by $3.4 billion, which Ramdass initially resisted accepting. Ramdass claims she was pressured into accepting the revised accounts, and her audit team could not reconcile the new revenue figures. In May, the Cabinet appointed a team to investigate her conduct, which she argued was unconstitutional. The Appeal Court had previously allowed her to pursue her case, and now, the Privy Council has upheld that decision.
